Rice University
Baylor
PREVIEW: Owls and #23 Bears Tangle in Tudor
9/2/2024 4:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Rice and Baylor both put undefeated records on the line
Location: Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Series: Baylor leads, 25-23
Last Meeting: Baylor won, 3-1 (Sept. 1, 2023)
MATCH NOTES
STARTING STRONG
Rice opens the season at 2-0 for the third-straight season. A trio of Owls earned all-conference honors, with McCardell earning Defensive Player of the Week, Skopal earning Freshman of the Week, and Ogunlana earning an honorable mention.
TOP OF THE PACK
Rice was voted as the favorite in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since joining the conference. The Owls warned eight of the 12 available first place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team).
WE'RE NUMBER ONE
Rice led the nation in digs per set with 18.56 in 2023. Houston Christian, Rice's first opponent of the season, was sixth in the nation in the same category with 17.75 digs per set. Texas State was ranked 51st in the category with 15.85 digs per set.
LOCK DOWN
Another statistical category the Owls dominated in last season was opponent hitting percentage, with the Owls only allowing its opponents to hit at a low .159. Rice led the American Athletic Conference with that mark, while ranking 13th in the nation.
BLUE STREAK
Rice had impressive streaks through the 2023 campaign, including a nine-game win streak that included its first seven games in AAC competition. Darby Harris finished the season with 16 double-doubles in 17 games, Danyle Courtley had double-digit kills in the final 13 games for the Owls, and Nia Cardell had double-digit digs in all but one match last season, including in the final 14 matches.
HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2018, the Owls have protected their home court, holding a 68-10 (.872) mark. In fact, since 2014, they are 112-22 (.836). Rice has been even better on their home court against conference opponents, having won 29 of its last 31 home conference matches dating back to the 2020-21 spring season. Since the 2015 season, Rice is 59-4 (.937) in conference home matches.
MEASURING UP
The Owls are 15-14 against Power 5 schools dating back to 2019 and have recorded five Top-25 victories during that stretch. When the Owls defeated then-No. 22 USC on Aug. 26, it was their 10th win against a ranked opponent, with nine of them coming with Head Coach Genny Volpe at the helm. Last season, Rice faced top-25 ranked teams in Stanford, Texas and Baylor.
